


Bake-Day at the Hotchner House

by LoveChilde



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Baking, Collection: Purimgifts Day 2, Community: purimgifts, Family, Gen, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-05
Updated: 2012-03-05
Packaged: 2017-11-01 12:51:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/356997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveChilde/pseuds/LoveChilde
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hotch asks Garcia for a simple favor. Somehow, everybody else gets dragged in as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bake-Day at the Hotchner House

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hagar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hagar/gifts).



"Garcia?"

"Sir?" It was the end of the day, and Garcia felt her mood take a sharp downswing at the thought of a potential new case, because why else would Hotch visit her   
office at this hour? The team leader seemed more sheepish that steely-determined, though, so she held off on judgment.

"Uh…I need your help with something- away from work hours." 

"Babysitting?" She suggested brightly. Did he have a date? He shook his head.

"Not exactly. It's- well, it's Jack's birthday next week. And it's traditional for kids to bring a cake to class on their birthday. And usually moms make the cake." He trailed off, looking uncertain, and Garcia jumped up, immediately sympathetic. 

"But I'm sure he'll be ok with it if you make the cake, Sir." Over a year since Haley's death, Hotch and Jack seemed to manage alright so far, but it wasn't easy. 

"Oh, he will be. The problem is I've never baked a cake, and I don't want to risk something going wrong. I can't buy a cake, he says it won't count, and…Would you be willing- I mean, I know I shouldn't ask- but could help? I've tried your baked goods, I think you're my best chance of learning quickly." Hotch looked awkward, so different from the confident unit chief she knew. Frankly, he looked adorable.

"Aw…" Garcia grinned wide. "Sure, I'd be happy to. That's so sweet, that you'll learn for him. Although how can you not know how to bake?" 

"Many people don't bake." Trust Rossi to butt in. Hotch ducked his head, embarrassed, when the older agent appeared behind him. "Even people who like to cook. I can't bake to save my life- are you offering a tutorial?" He asked Garcia over Hotch's shoulder. She shrugged.

"Sure, if you'd like. I think anybody should be able to satisfy a sudden craving for cookies, you know? I'm honored you asked me, Sir." She smiled at Hotch again.

"Asked you what?" Great, now Emily was in on it, with Reid and Morgan right behind her. Hotch looked less and less happy. 

"Hotch needs to bake a cake for Jack's birthday at school." The analyst explained, blithely ignoring her boss's discomfort. "He asked me to help out. And then apparently Rossi wants to learn as well, so…"

"Baking's just chemistry, it's not too hard." Not that Reid ever did it himself, but it was due to lack of time and interest, not ability. He'd done it in the past. "I haven't baked in a while. No real time for it."

"The only thing I've ever made is snickerdoodles." Emily admitted.

"I make a mean red velvet cake." Morgan added his two cents. Rossi grinned and pushed Hotch's shoulder.

"So, bake-party at your place, Saturday morning?"

"Uh…"

"Yeah! It's a team building exercise!" Garcia clearly loved the idea. The others exchanged looks. 

"I sort of have plans…" 

"Me too, actually."

"Move them. We don't get free weekends that often." Rossi shook his head. "Morgan, whatever you have can wait, right? Prentiss?"

"Uh, I guess…" Emily glanced at Hotch, who looked a lot like a deer in headlights. "Are you even up for hosting, Hotch? We don't want to invade your weekend, we see enough of each other as it is."

"Aw, come on…It'll be fun!"

Garcia had spoken. It was decided.

***

Miraculously, no new case came in for the rest of the week. Saturday was eve a nice day, after weeks of unpleasant cold rain. Garcia showed up first, of course, ringing Hotch's doorbell and carrying two large plastic bags. 

"Morning Sir." She chirped, moving past him to greet Jack.

"Morning Garcia. Jack, Aunt Garcia's here to help me bake a cake for your birthday tomorrow." 

The boy's eyes sparkled. "Really? Cool! Thanks Aunt Garcie! But dad-" his face clouded a little, "You have to make it yourself. Everybody else's mom makes their cakes!" His bottom lip started trembling.

"Don't worry, kiddo. I'll make one cake and your dad will make one exactly like it, all by himself. He'll just be copying exactly what I do." Garcia explained cheerfully, and the threat of tears cleared away quickly enough. Seconds later, the arrival of everybody else distracted Jack enough that he forgot the whole thing entirely. 

"Ok, this is how we do it- I'll make one cake, Hotch does exactly what I do, and meanwhile, all of your four exchange recipes and make each other's cakes." Garcia said decisively. "End of the day should see us with two double-fudge chocolate cakes-" herself and Hotch, having decided against the healthier options in favor of the best cake Garcia knew- "Snickerdoodles-" Reid, with Emily' recipe, "Red velvet-" Emily, with Morgan's, "Strawberry cheesecake and lemon-almond muffins." Morgan and Rossi respectively, with Emily and Reid's suggestions. "Jack, you're in charge of helping everybody, especially your dad. Ready? Set! Bake!"

For a few hours, chaos reigned. Flour fights broke out, and only Hotch's 'Agent in Charge' voice kept the eggs safe from throwing. Bowls were washed and re-washed, spoons were licked clean; it was all remarkably unhygienic, as Reid reminded them occasionally, but it was a proper bake-day in Garcia's book. Jack was having a blast, sticking a finger in every bowl of batter and checking every ingredient, and even Hotch cracked a smile a few times. 

By early afternoon the oven was finally allowed to cool, and trays of cookies and cakes were spread out on the counter. Jack got first honors with Garcia's cake, reassured that his dad's was exactly the same, and declared it 'Yummy, aunt Garcie!' The fine agents of the BAU collapsed in a pleasantly exhausted heap on the sofa. 

"You know what comes after a bake day?" Garcia asked.

"Cake-eating day?"

"Three days in the gym?"

"Nope." Garcia grinned. "Dish-washing time. And as I'm in change, I get to orchestrate you guys in that, too."

It was decided then and there that Garcia would never be in charge of bake-days again.


End file.
